Our recent research has raised some interesting differences between Irish-born and foreign-born students with the former showing a lack of knowledge or interest in education for citizenship while the latter stated that education for citizenship ‘is a very important thing’; ‘a way of letting us broaden our horizons’; ‘can develop our creativity and imagination’; ‘can allow people to become wiser and (more) knowledgeable’; ‘tells us how to become a good citizen’.
This is food for thought surely...
Yes definitely. The institutions of higher learning can imbibe thinking abilities in students who then can differentiate between the fake and real world of news. This can help then in deciphering the situation and taking an appropriate decisions regarding different aspects of democracy.
Well, there's always been false news. Presumably, it's more difficult to pass this off on the more educated? Probably, but not always!
Do students know what they want? Mostly, I suppose. What they need? Maybe not! Do they need citizenship education? Yes. Do they want it? Generally not!
You're lucky to have students who do want it. Treasure them. In England, the commercialisation of higher education has destroyed this possibility. You pay, we'll teach you anything you want. You get a job, everything is fine for all. You don't, well that's unlikely to be our fault. And we did fulfill our part of the contract!
Heaven forbid that it's come to this, but it has!
Best
Christopher NOCK
Hhhmmm....No. First off, why do HEIs have to play a role in democracy? Thus, what does that mean for countries that are not democratic? Second, civic education belongs in primary and secondary schools, when kids are learning their patriotic history, saluting the flag, etc...HEIs have always been a counterweight to that, to be critical of the patriotic history that is taught in the lower levels, as well as critical thought to political systems, like democracy. How can an institution still be a place of academic freedom, free thought, and independent thinking if its promoting one political system over another? HEIs can still value truth and facts and put those out there for debate, but to actively choose one political side as truth and the other is not, is not a place for HEIs.
Boy Sabine, I hope you thank the good Lord everyday for having such well educated and balanced students to teach! And there's the rub really. If they were so wonderful they wouldn't need educating.
Universities in England never did teach civics. But then schools weren't afraid to. They're too scared now, for reasons you allude to but ascribe to the universities. When 3% of the population went to university, you could leave them alone to find their own way on this--most did. Now at 45%? No. Leave them completely to their own devices and you'll encourage racists, anti-Semites, abusers of various persuasions, etc....
Without a degree of guidance, poorly educated, impressionable, minds aren't going to get any of us very far! I'm not suggesting indoctrination. Just some gentle guidance towards understanding what political arrangements are required for a free and fair society. And that can be established and demonstrated objectively! It's true!
Christopher NOCK
First off @ Christopher Nock, in my experience with racists, anti-Semites, etc...these attitudes weren't formed in college/university, they happened a lot earlier. Second, I never implied students were "well balanced." Only that civic education (at least in the U.S.) has been taught in K-12 education system (primary and secondary schools), I don't know what is taught in the UK education system. I also don't know what a degree of guidance is, but HEIs should teach critical thinking and assessment, so alot of university students end up learning that the patriotic history they were taught when they were younger, is filled with exploitation and marginalization of other people for profits (like colonialism, slavery, etc..). Hence, HEIs acting as the critical counterweight. So you see, students are learning "truth vs alternative facts" to discern between various accounts, HEIs have always did this. However, I don't know why HEIs should have a role in promoting democracy, as I mentioned before, there are good HEIs in nondemocratic countries. So I don't see how that has to do with higher education, obviously in a political science class one learns about all the political systems and arrangements, as well as critique our own.
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